Insight to your past
by Ealdor
Summary: A vampire diaries fanfiction written from the point of view of my character. She meets Damon during the midst of World War 2 and things progress from there. Set in England and may possibly progress into the storyline of the show. Stefan and Klaus will most likely appear at some points too. I own the storyline up to the show and most of the characters except the obvious ones.
1. Chapter 1

Insight to Your Past

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This chapter is basically a chapter to help you readers know a bit more about the past and present of the character. It helps to set the scene for the upcoming chapters which I will be hopefully posting once every 1-2 weeks, most likely at a week-end. Favourite, follow and review if you like. Criticism welcome.

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Chapter 1- The Midst of the War

28th January 1940

The streets were deserted. There was nobody about in any direction I looked. The buildings were crumbling, desolate. Craters were gouged into the road as though some sort of bomb had fallen there in the past. The reason it looked like that was because, in fact, a bomb had fallen there.

It was dark, no lights except for those of the searchlights in the main city shone. This made it hard to see the path I traveled. Just because the streets were deserted did not mean that it was quiet. The air raid sirens blared out across London and planes droned across the sky.

This wasn't a good time to be out. My feet splashed through puddles as I sprinted across the roads, heading towards my home. My breathing was ragged and uneven but that was to be expected, I had just ran about a mile in these pitiful conditions.

The sudden boom of a bomb caught me off guard and I ducked behind a wall to avoid the spray of shrapnel. I had refused going into one of the public shelters, no matter how much they had protested. I shouldn't have left home in the first place.

The old, Victorian style townhouse soon came into view and I sped up, determination burning through me. The door creaked as I opened it but it was barely audible above the noises outside. "Tommy!" I called, trying to get my voice heard above the horribly loud bombs and the screeching siren.

My feet carried me towards the bedroom I shared with my younger brother, Thomas- Tommy for short. Shattered glass was dispersed all over the ground and I made an effort to avoid it as I stepped carefully to the wardrobe. Swinging open the wardrobe, I immediately felt a small form hit into my torso. I held him for a few moments before lifting him into my arms and rushing down the stairs. The place I really didn't want to be in that moment was outside but we had no choice to make it to the shelter.

"I'll get you safe," I promised my brother as I ran across the grass and shoved open the corrugated iron panel that we used as a door to the dugout. I put him on the single mattress and replaced the iron over the door, giving a sigh of relief.

The shelter was tiny, only about two metres in any direction. On one of the walls was a rack of shelves that held a few measly cans and some water provisions. In the far corner was a bucket for... well... business. Then there was the mattress pushed up against the side wall, a blanket strewn across it. It wasn't much but at least we were safe.

I crouched next to my brother and took his face in my hands, studying him for any cuts or wounds.

"Are you hurt?" I asked him gently, looking into his big, blue eyes.

It settled me when he shook his head and I pulled into a hug. He rested his head on my shoulder, his breathing light and calm. My hands combed through his ragged brown hair as I eased myself.

In a way, I was much like a mother to my brother. Our own mother was always off helping out with raid patrols and was hardly ever home. That left me to look after Tommy. I was the only one there to look out for him.

My older brother, Oliver, was out fighting the war. We got letters from him every couple of months or so. I didn't know where he was based. He moved around too much and didn't bother to mention it in his letters. Mostly, he focused on asking us questions of what was happening here.

The problem was, Tommy and I were scheduled to be evacuated soon. The address of the place we were going to stay in was unknown to us so we weren't able to send it to Ollie. That meant we would no longer be receiving letters from our brother.

Finally, I let go of Tommy and kissed his forehead softly. The eight-year old gave me a soft smile and I found myself smiling back. Now that I knew he was okay, I was able to finally locate the correct muscles in my lips to turn up their edges.

Standing, I walked to the shelf and took down a tin of soup. The tin popped as I opened it and I took a spoon from the lower shelf. Taking a quick spoonful of it, I dumped it in my mouth and passed the rest to Tommy. I knew he'd be hungry because of how hungry I was. I wouldn't eat until morning though. The supplies in here were low as it was.

As I had expected, Tommy wolfed down the soup as if it were the first meal he'd had in months. Pretty soon, he dumped the tin at the end of the mattress and lay down. "Night, Maggie" he murmured in his regularly quiet and almost never heard voice.

"Goodnight, Tom" I uttered in return as I set myself against the wall, my head lolling on my shoulder.

My eyes stayed on him as his eyes closed. The poor child suffered with terrible nightmares so I regularly stayed up all night to watch him. His breathing grew heavy and slow and I knew he had drifted off. My own lids drooped and I tried to stay awake but was unable to, falling asleep myself.

I woke to the sound of Tommy's mumbling as he tossed and turned on the mattress. Yawning, I got up and moved over to him. Laying on the mattress next to him, I pulled him close and ran my hand through his hair, over and over again. "Shh" I hushed. "It's alright."

After a short while, he settled and his breathing evened again. That was my queue to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter is the first to introduce Damon. It's set the morning after the previous chapter whilst Maggie and her brother are out getting their rations. I managed to write this today because I have a lot of free time on my hands at the moment.

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Chapter 2- Shopping

29th January 1940

The air raid siren sounded again at 5am, telling us that the planes had gone and that it was safe to leave our shelter. Tommy woke slowly, his eyes flickering open. He gave a soft groan and rubbed his eyes before curling closer to me.

"Morning, Tom." I mumbled against his hair.

He took a few moments before answering. "Morning." His voice was muffled and it sounded as though he were still half-asleep.

I carefully uncurled my arms from around him and stood up. "Let's get going." I told him. "Before all of the supplies are gone. I remember Mrs Thompson saying they'd have new supplies in Monday. The queue will be massive if we don't hurry."

Mrs Thompson was the wife of the owner of the green grocer's. She was a short, stocky woman but she had a fondness for me and my brother. She would always tell us when the next shipment of supplies were due to arrive so that we could have first pick. Sometimes, if we didn't get there until late, she would lay some vegetables and stuff aside for us.

Tommy didn't seem keen on moving. He just lay there and gave me a very stubborn look.

"I'll buy you a bun from the Stone Oven." I tempted.

That got his attention and he instantly sat up. I knew that would have encouraged him. The bakery just around the corner from Thompson's made amazing current buns. They were especially nice with jam so perhaps I'd ask Mrs Thompson if she had any in.

"Come on then." I said as I pushed away the corrugated steel panel and walked outside into the early morning sunlight.

The sun made it far easier to see the damage done to our house and the surrounding ones. A few hundred metres down the street, a house had been completely destroyed by a bomb.

Tommy climbed out of the dugout and followed my gaze. "That was Eddie's house." He said softly. "I hope his family got out alright."

Eddie was one of Tommy's best friends, or he had been before he's been evacuated.

"I'm sure he did." I reassured him. "How's the cabbages and parsnips doing?"

The small piece of earth that we grew vegetables on looked undamaged at first glance but I wanted to get Tommy's mind off the bombings and checking the crops seemed the best way at the moment.

Tommy wandered over to them and crouched to study the plants. "I think they're alright!" he called. "None of the shrapnel reached them!"

I smiled softly. "That's good." I replied. "Think they'll be done soon?"

"Another few days, I think." Tommy replied. "The cabbages almost look ready and the parsnip leaves are getting tall."

Nodding, I held out a hand. "Let's go to town and go buy us something to eat then."

Hopping over to me, he took my outstretched hand and I guided us in the direction of the main part of the city. We lived on the suburbs so it was quite a walk but public transport wasn't really readily available, especially with petrol rationings.

Even running last night had taken me a while. I'd been visiting a family friend when the air raid had started. He'd tried to stop me coming back for Tommy but I'd ran off before he could force me into one of the public shelters.

On the walk to the main city, I tried to ignore the rubble and the debris from the neighboring buildings. It showed me how lucky we had been last night to have only a couple of windows blown out.

"Maggie?" Tommy asked after we'd been walking for a little while.

"Hmm?" I looked down at him.

"Could you tell me a story?" Tommy replied. "Like you used to?"

I thought for a moment. "Okay. What do you want it to be about?"

Tommy shrugged. "That's up to you." He replied. "Just make it good."

I laughed softly. "Alright, Mr Fussy." I ran through ideas in my head before locking on the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.

"Once upon a time, there lived a boy called Jack. He lived with his mother out in the country..."

The story carried us all the way to the main city where we set towards the greengrocer's.

"The end." I finished as we reached the doors.

"Think we can buy some magic beans?" Tommy asked. "Maybe I can ask Mrs Thompson."

I smirked as he hopped through the doors and over to the counter. "Mrs Thompson, Mrs Thompson!" he called to the woman busy rifling through a box of potatoes.

She looked up at him and gave him a smile. "What is it Tommy, sweetheart?" she asked, standing up with a grunt of effort.

"Do you have any magic beans?" Tommy asked. "Like the ones Jack got?"

Mrs Thompson moved her eyes up to me with a knowing smirk before looking back at Tommy. "I'm afraid I'm all out, sweetie." she replied. "I don't know if I'll be getting any in for a long time."

Tommy pouted and lapsed into silence.

Mrs Thompson, seeing his upset, gave him a little nudge. "Mr Thompson made something for you. It's a present so you won't forget us when you go off to the country." From behind the counter, she produced a small wooden plane.

Tommy's eyes widened and he took it from her. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "This is great!"

"What do you say?" I asked him.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Tommy repeated excitedly.

"I'm glad you like it." Mrs Thompson said, smiling at him. "I'm sure Richard will be happy you like it too." Richard was Mr Thompson's first name.

Tommy ran around the room, holding the plane high as he made sound effects. I stepped up to the counter and mouthed a 'thank you' to Mrs Thompson.

"I have this for you, too." Mrs Thompson said as she passed me a leather-bound book. "Best wishes for your trip."

Opening the front page, I was astonished to discover it was one of the original copies of 'Grimm's Fairy Tales'. "Where did you get it?"

"I found it in a box of Richard's father's stuff. I'm sure he won't miss it. I'm selling off all of his old books anyway." She pointed towards a few open boxes near the door, labeled with prices.

"Thank you so much." I leaned over the counter to give her an awkward hug.

"You're welcome, sweetheart." was her reply. "Now what would you like today?"

As I ordered, another person entered the shop. I didn't really pay attention to him until he walked up to the counter next to me and placed a couple of books on the surface. "How much?" he asked and I was astonished to realize that he was American. What was he doing here? Why would someone from America come all the way to London.

Mrs Thompson gave him a price and he passed the money to her before exiting.

That was the first time I saw Damon Salvatore but little did I know that it wasn't the last.


	3. Chapter 3

Haha 3 chapters within a day. Waaay too much time... It's a bit shorter than the other ones and I think it still needs a bit of editing but I wanted to post it anyway.

I thought I should also mention that the main character is only thirteen at this point. She will grow older as the story progresses.

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Chapter 3- Guardian Angel

29th January 1940

Tommy was still zooming around the room, plane in hand, as the man left. I watched the dark-haired man out of the corner of my eye, slightly suspicious about the odd American guy.

"Why do you think there was an American here?" I asked Mrs Thompson.

"I think there's a few of them volunteering in the army." The grocer replied. "That's probably why."

"Oh." I murmured softly, not really having a clue what else to say.

After Mrs Thompson passed me my groceries, I bid her farewell and walked out of the door- making sure Tommy followed.

"Can we go get the cakes now?" Tommy asked as he spun a full circle with his plane.

I nodded. "Of course. I said we would, remember?"

I headed for the shortcut towards the bakery. It was a small side-street which was mostly used for putting rubbish bins and stuff. Overall it cut off about ten minutes from our trip because we didn't have to walk all the way around.

Mother had warned me about going through this place but it was broad daylight so what could happen? It wasn't as if anyone would jump us here, right? Right?

Oh, how I wish I'd listened to mum.

Tommy ran off ahead of me, making a droning noise much like the ones of the planes that passed ahead during the air raids. Every now and then he would make the sound of an explosion. The way he did it so light-heartedly freaked me a little.

I drifted into my thoughts, thinking over the past year. The city had changed so much. Now we were even being sent away to keep us safe.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't spot the man until it was too late. A knife was pressed close to Tommy's throat and he was squirming in the thug's arms. It was all so sudden, as if he had appeared from nowhere.

He was tall and muscular, obviously well-fed which was uncommon at this point in history. He had short, dirty-blonde hair but that was the only feature I could make out at this distance.

I gave a small cry at the sight, unable to contain it. "Let him go!" I ordered pathetically.

"Fine." The man said and threw Tommy away from him. As soon as that happened, I felt a hand grab my waist and shove me into the wall, pinning me there.

I looked towards Tommy who seemed to be at a loss for what to do. "Go get h-" My speech was cut off as the man who'd attacked me from behind clamped a hand on my throat. I turned my eyes on him to see that he was skinnier than the one who had originally grabbed Tommy. He had thick, brown hair that reached his shoulders.

Tommy didn't seem to get what I had meant and stood his ground. I saw him stand up a bit taller, often summoning some courage, and shook my head.

"Let her go!" He ordered, using the same tone of voice I had used when requesting the same thing.

"Oh look, Don" said the muscly one. "We have a big man." He crouched a little so he was almost on the same par as Tommy. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I-I..." Tommy swallowed, tears filling his eyes as he looked between me and the two men.

Then, suddenly, the pressure on my throat was gone and 'Don' was flying through the air, right into the wall opposite. I coughed and slid to the ground, trying to regain my breath as my heart hammered against my ribs.

I looked at the figure of the man who had only a few seconds ago been holding me at his mercy. He was slumped on the ground, blood pooling around him. What had just happened?

My eyes darted around as I tried to see what had happened. A black figure appeared on the muscular man, teeth in his neck. I gave a quiet shriek and got to my feet, grabbing Tommy's hand as I sprinted towards the street on the other side of the alley.

"Wait..." I heard in a voice that sounded familiar. I turned to look only for a few seconds. The figure was still hidden in shadows but I could just make out the blood dripping from his lips. The sight made me carry on running.

My head felt faint but I managed to keep going and soon we reached the door to the bakery. I pushed Tommy ahead of me as we entered, both of us breathing hard.

"What's wrong?" asked the baker behind the counter. I was glad to see the familiar face. "What is it, Maggie?"

"I don't know." I replied softly, earning a confused look from him.

I pulled Tommy close and put my arms around him, pressing my lips softly to his forehead. "I'm just very glad we're okay."

The voice reeled over and over through my mind. His accent...he'd been American...it had been the man from the greengrocer's only a few minutes before! What was he? Some sort of monster? Had he followed us or had he just heard the scuffle and came to help?

"Maybe he was an angel?" Tommy suggested, as if looking into my thoughts.

"Yeah." I replied simply. "Maybe..."


	4. Chapter 4

This is to give you a bit more insight to Maggie's motherly affection towards her brother. It explains why her mother isn't the one to be like that and why she never seems to be around. It also adds to your knowledge on her brother.

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Chapter 4- Letters to Ollie

29th January 1940

I was glad for the warmth when we made it home. As soon as I stepped through the doors, I knew mum was home. There was a fire blazing brightly in the fireplace, giving a slight glow to its surroundings. Mum's keys were in the pot on top of the shelf to the left of the door, the knitted key-ring I had made for her now tattered and worn out.

"Mummy!" Tommy crowed as he ran through to the kitchen. I stayed where I was, listening to Tommy chatter on about his new toy plane.

There was a reason why I had to look after Tommy in the way I did. It was quite simply that mother no longer cared about me or my brother, not since our father had died.

My father had been a wonderful man. He was never too bossy, or too lenient. He never shouted, never punished us. I missed him a lot. I missed the way he used to whistle in the mornings while he read his newspaper and drunk his coffee. I missed the aura he had around him, the way he knew exactly what to say when somebody was upset.

He had died about a year before war was declared. It had been pneumonia. I always tried not to remember him in that state. Mother had blamed it on his smoking and, to be honest, I agreed.

After father's death, mum had became distant. Once the war started she began doing anything she could to keep her mind off it. She took extra shifts on the air raid patrol, helping them repair searchlights and bunkers.

I think we just reminded her too much of our father and it was too difficult for her to be around us for too long.

I could see why with Tommy but I didn't think I was anything like dad. I wasn't as optimistic, I didn't see the good in everyone I met.

Tommy, on the other hand, was a very trustful person. He wouldn't judge people on their looks or the way they acted before he talked to them.

Slowly, I made my way into the kitchen leaning against one of the counters. I watched as Tommy spoke to Mum, who never even so much as looked at him. She pretended to be focused on cooking the scrambled eggs from the pack of dried egg powder but I knew the truth.

After a few moments, I was sick of it and moved away from them, heading up to my room. I decided to write to Ollie. It would probably be my last chance to do so from London before we got evacuated. Hopefully I'd still be able to write to him from the country. I supposed I'd have to send letters to my mother too, not that she'd reply often.

When I entered the room Tommy and I shared, I gave a soft sigh at the sight of the shattered window. Moving quickly over the glass shards, I grabbed a piece of cloth to pick them up, throwing them in the bin when I'd finished. I then used a sheet to cover the window and sat down at a desk to write. My eyes stayed on the photograph propped up against the small pile of books I kept on the edge of the surface.

It had been taken a couple of years ago, when dad was still around and Ollie wasn't off in some foreign country. I was only about ten, Tommy five. My father held Tommy on his side, one arm draped around my mother's waist. Ollie and me both stood in front, both grinning. Considering the photo was only black and white- the only type of photo around at the time- it was hard to fully remember the colours of my dad and my brother, oddly enough.

Picking up the fountain pen, I stared down at the blank page for a few moments before dipping it in the ink and beginning to write.

_Monday 29th January_

_Dear Ollie,_

_I think this will probably be the last letter I write you from the city. We're being evacuated on Wednesday. I don't really want to leave but I know it will be safer in the country for both me and Tommy. Next time you receive a letter from me, I can tell you all about our new country home._

_I'm scared though, Ollie. What will happen to Mum when we leave? Even though I know she doesn't particularly care for us anymore, she doesn't have anyone else._

_We had a close call with the bombs last night, they destroyed some of the houses in our street. What if next time it's our house? What if mother is inside when it happens?_

_I wonder if there's still air raids in the country. I mean, there isn't much out there to destroy, is there? It's just fields and trees. It's going to be far different to the city but I hope they have a good bakery there so I can buy Tommy his current buns. I also hope they have some nice green grocers like the Thompsons. I think I'm going to miss them more than anyone here._

_I know you won't be able to reply to this letter directly to me but I'll send the address of the country house in my next letter so you can._

_I really hope you're doing okay out there, Ollie. I can't wait until this war is over and you can come home again. I miss you so much_

_Love you lots,_

_Maggie_


	5. Chapter 5

This chapter was definitely the most emotional chapter I've written. I dreaded writing it most of all but it is crucial for the story to progress. I did have a few dilemmas on how to cause this scene but decided this one would be best.

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Chapter 5- Greatest Loss

30th January 1940, London

I'd spent most of the day out with Tommy. Making ourselves useful, we helped out with small jobs such as delivering things and giving messages. It wasn't as if we'd had anything better to do. Our school had been bombed a couple of months ago anyway.

Everyone seemed grateful for our help, giving us small tokens to thank us.

I hadn't even noticed when the sun began to set, or that it was getting dark. When I did, I decided to head home straight away, just in case. Tommy skipped along next to me as we walked through shadowy streets. At this time there were plenty of people out and about, making me feel assured that an air raid wouldn't happen for another couple of hours.

Then, as it got later, the searchlights could be seen from the main city.

"Come on" I told Tommy. "Let's hurry up a bit." We both quickened our paces.

Then came the sirens.

"Run!" I snapped as I grabbed Tommy's hand and pretty much dragged him along after me. Not much further to go. Our feet thundered against the path and I contemplated lifting him up to run faster but didn't.

"My plane!" Tommy exclaimed as we neared the house. "I left it inside!"

Even as I tried to keep a tight hold on him, he weaseled out and ran off ahead of me, heading for the house.

"Tommy!" I yelled. "Wait!" I attempted to follow him, speeding up.

Then suddenly I couldn't run anymore, feeling strong arms wrap around me. "You can't save him" I heard an American voice tell me. I turned my head to look into the pale green eyes of the man from the alleyway, the man from the greengrocer's. I didn't understand him. I couldn't save Tommy from what? It didn't make sense.

Tommy had reached the house and ran inside, I was still so far from him. My eyes were locked on the house as I struggled to get out of the man's grasp. But he was far to strong for me, holding me easily back from where I wanted to go.

The whistle of something dropping from the sky was the only thing I could hear after that. A hand pressed over my eyes but I managed to push it away, just as the bomb hit the house.

"No!" I screamed. "Tommy!"

The whole house went up in flames, the blast unheard over the other blasts around, as were my screams. Sobs ripped from my chest as my struggles grew weaker.

Eventually, the man let go of me and I ran before he could stop me. Avoiding fire and falling debris, I moved in through the no-longer existent front door.

Tommy hadn't made it further than the living room. His body lay sprawled over the floor. The sight of what had actually gotten him made me feel like throwing up. A long, thick piece of wood, most likely from upstairs, had fallen through the ceiling and impaled him through the stomach. I knew there wasn't much of a chance of him surviving that, I wasn't quite as naive to think that there was any hope for him.

I knelt down next to him, suddenly realizing that he was actually still alive. One of my hands moved under his head, the other clasping his hand tight. He was still and silent for a few moments, his eyes darting about before coming to a rest on me. His breathing was ragged and forced.

"M-maggie..." He managed and I felt another sob rise in my throat at how weak he sounded. I swallowed it though, not wanting him to see that I knew how serious it was.

"I'm here, Tommy." I murmured, bending my head down to plant a kiss on his forehead, my hand running through his hair comfortingly.

Tommy's mouth opened and closed a few times, as if he were gathering the strength to speak again. "I-I'm...sorry..." he whispered.

I shook my head, feeling tears roll down my cheeks. "N-no, it's my fault. I could've- should've stopped you."

Then the light faded from his eyes and I knew he was gone. My head fell forward, bent low over his as my tears spilled onto his face.

"N-no." I sobbed. "Wake up!" I shook him softly. "Please!"

Then the arms were there around me again and the man was pulling me away from Tommy. "Let go!" I shouted at him, flailing to get out of his grasp. Once again, his strength overpowered me.

"We need to get out of here!" He snapped. "The whole building is coming down!"

I didn't care in that moment if the building did come down. The ceiling looked majorly unstable, not that I was paying much attention to it. Who cared if I died anyway?

"I'm not leaving him!" I screamed. "I'm not!"

The man yanked me up roughly, carrying me out of the house. I curled into his chest, sobs breaking from me loudly.

He didn't stop once we were outside, carrying me into the bomb shelter and setting me on the mattress. There I huddled into a ball, my hands covering my face. I didn't hear him leave.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry I've been gone for so long. School caught up on me so I've been busy. Yes, this chapter is extremely short but I didn't really have that much to write here. The next chapter is going to be a lot longer though.

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Chapter 6- Out to the Country

4th February 1940, London

The next few days after Tommy's death were full of tears. I stayed in the bomb shelter for almost forty-eight hours before my mother managed to convince me to come out. We stayed with a friend of my mother's for the next couple of nights, until it was my time to be evacuated.

The train station was packed with children and parents waiting for the evacuation train to arrive. I'd never had the need to ride on a train before so this would be a first.

Mother hadn't came with me and I was completely alone compared to some of the others who seemed to have brought their entire family with them.

I hadn't brought much in my small suitcase, just a little bit of money and a couple of spare changes of clothes. Most of my things had been damaged in the bombing of my house.

A rush of wind was the thing that alerted me to the train's arrival. A long steam train puffed into the station and, looking around, I noticed that quite a few children seemed sad to be leaving. Me, on the other hand, I was glad. It meant distractions, a new place where I wouldn't have to think about my past here in London.

I collected a gas mask, my food for the journey and a name tag to be pinned to my coat. Then I was allowed to board the train. Finding an empty compartment, I slid inside and sat on the wooden bench next to the window.

My area wasn't empty for long, however. Obviously, with so many children out there, I should have expected the five of them to come in. They were noisy, chatting about what they expected in the land we were journeying to.

I remained silent, staring blankly out of the window.


	7. Chapter 7

So this chapter is just made up of letters between Maggie and her brother, Ollie. It just gives you a little bit of insight into how her life as an evacuee is playing out and what her relationship is like with her brother, with yet another tragedy later on. I'm going to keep updating this chapter rather than posting new chapters for new letters. Then, afterwards, I'll move onto her return to London.

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Chapter 7- Keeping Me Sane

_5th February 1940_

_Dear Ollie,_

_You have no idea how many times I have tried to write this letter, and how many times I have failed. It's news that you shouldn't read in a letter, you should be told it in person instead. But, with how far away you are, that isn't possible._

_Tommy's dead, Ollie. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. He died in my arms and I can't seem to grasp that he's gone._

_I've been evacuated now but it was late because I had to attend his funeral. He should be here with me. I keep expecting him to come springing from somewhere to surprise me._

_It's stupid, I know it is. Mother and I argued before I left. She told me that I was an idiot for not accepting his death but I just can't, not yet anyway. It should have been me, I should have been the one to go back inside the house when the bomb hit._

_He would have loved it here in the country. There are so many animals, you know how he loved animals. There's cows, actual living beef! Have you ever seen one of them before? Now I'm not so sure I'll be able to eat meat ever again. All of the animals here seem to be for eating and I feel like throwing up every-time I sit down at the dinner table._

_At least there's more food here than in the city. Tommy would have loved Jane's warm current buns. They're even better than the ones from the Stone Oven._

_Jane and Frank are my 'parents' while I'm staying here. I call them Auntie and Uncle because that's what they asked me to call them. They're really nice but they live really far away from anywhere. We have to use horses to get to places because fuel costs too much._

_Frank says that they use horses in the war too so you probably will know what one of them is. Do you? I don't want to waste a load of paper explaining what they are unless you don't._

_I've attached the address of my new home on a separate piece of paper for you so you can reply._

_Hope to hear from you soon._

_Lots of love,_

_Maggie_

_xx_

_7th February 1940_

_Dear Ollie,_

_I know it's only been a couple of days since I last wrote and I haven't yet received a letter back from you but I couldn't resist to write to you again. I feel like writing to you like this is the only thing keeping me sane in the insane world I live in right now. You have no idea how different it is here compared to London._

_It feels like a whole other world. There are so many trees and plants and it's just so green! The roads don't smell of fumes and the air is clear. I feel like Alice, as though I have fallen down the rabbit hole and found myself in Wonderland._

_Jane gave me her copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It's such an amazing book and I just can't seem to put it down. Tommy would have adored the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter._

_I'm starting school in five days, the next Monday. I'm nervous because I haven't been to school in a few months, not since it was bombed. Plus I don't think I'll know anyone there, I'll be an outsider._

_Jane and Frank said I should be just fine, that there isn't anything to worry about but I can't help it. I always worry, you of all people know that._

_Anyways, I have to go help Jane with the dishes. I'll ask Frank to post this, along with the letter from Monday, next time he goes into town._

_Lots of love,_

_Maggie_

_xx_

_23rd February 1940_

_Dear Maggie,_

_You have no idea the grief I felt when reading your letter with the news of Tommy. I wish I was there with you to help you through what you are going through and I am so sorry that I can't be. It's been almost five months since I left England and I know I have missed a lot of both your life and Tommy's._

_I'm sure whatever happened, it wasn't your fault. It couldn't have been, Maggie. Stop blaming yourself from something I'm sure couldn't have been stopped. Don't let it eat at you or you'll just end up destroying yourself._

_You'll move on in your own time, I know you will. You know Mother is just being... Mother. She hasn't even replied to the letters I sent her two months ago. I think she just wants to distance herself from me in case the worse comes to pass._

_I can't wait until this war is over and I can come home to see you both again._

_Yes, I do know what a horse is- you don't have to explain it. They use them to help pull machinery out here. We also use them as mounts in battle. Horses are very useful things and also very beautiful._

_Jane and Frank sound like very kind people, it sounds like they are taking very good care of you. What is the house like? Is it big or small? Are there chickens? I remember how much you wanted to see living chickens when you were small._

_I know that you've probably already started school considering how long this took to arrive. I want you to tell me all about it in your next letter. Tell me the subjects you're learning, what the teachers are like and what the other students are like._

_I hope I'm home soon and this war is over quickly. I very much understand what you said about writing keeping you sane, I feel exactly the same way._

_Love you lots,_

_Oliver_

_19th March 1940_

_Dear Ollie,_

_The first day of school was a lot better than I had imagined. The school building is tiny compared to what it was in London. But, with all of us evacuees around, we're all really cramped._

_The teachers are nice enough, but probably only because I'm not one to talk out in class. The teachers in London were a lot more strict but these ones hardly ever resort to the cane._

_I've had all sorts of subjects taught so far. We're learning all about geometry and in science we're learning about crop growing. Even though I probably won't need any of these skills later in life, it's still really interesting._

_The other children are alright, most of them anyway. There's this one boy that I can't stand. His name is Jimmy Dalton and he's an utter pig. He's so stuck up his own arse that he probably doesn't even realize that he just sounds like a snot-nosed whiny brat every-time he opens his mouth._

_I have made a friend though. Her name is Lilian Davis and she's really nice. She has long, silvery hair and bright blue eyes. She'll be coming over after school tomorrow._

_The farm house I'm staying in is really nice. It's a little bigger than our house but it's got a lot more stuff so it seems smaller. There's a huge barn outside too with lots and lots of chickens in the coop inside._

_I could really get used to living out here. We still have to black out the windows but there's hardly any air raids compared to London. It's really peaceful._

_Missing you lots,_

_Maggie_


End file.
